does anyone know how to skin a bird & save the feathers? Updated any feather producers out there ?

[java girl 2]

I Wood like to know how to skin a bird so I can save the feathers to sell for fly tie or to sell to the hair salon. anyone know how to do this??? or is there a another option to do this? I am going to say that the birds i am doing this year are meat birds that i skin anyway. so i thought i can skin the bird with the feathers on it and save the pelt to sell to help off set the cost of feeding them. i wood like to know how to do...... chickens, turkeys and ducks. can anyone who has done this before give me some tips please???

 

[Marty1876]

Hi Java Girl -

When I save feathers, I actually take them off the bird before I skin it. Once the skin shrinks, your gonna tear it and mess up and bend feathers.

If you know how, dip the birds in very hot (not quite boiling water-after they are dead, of course), then lay it down in fornt of you. Use one hand to hold the fowl still, and the other to gently remove one at a time the most perfect large feathers, and perfect little. If you sort them as you go, there are markets for the little ones in beauty and fashion. You can direct market the big ones on e-bay, or make a sight.

IF you get a list of boy scout explorer groups in your state, some may buy from you to make Native American gear and etc.

be sure to clean the skin end of feathers, then let them dry for a few days in a cool low humidity room.

Also, if you are inspired, you can cut the birds skin from neck to butt on both sides, just in front of the wings. Remove wings, and skin birds, leaving front and back seperate. next, clean and lightly scrape the skin with a dull butterknife-remember its delicate and may tear- after the skin is perfeclty clean, stretch it a bit over cardboard, and carefully staple to cardboard, skin side out, to dry. This will keep it from getting wavy. These can also be sold to the fasion industry. I'd check the requirements of individual buyers. Some want whole skins, inside out and frozen, others wnat them stapled and dried.

Hope this helps.

 

[archerobx]

started looking into that also. As I tye flies and with this crazy feathering craze prices have gone up.

I am a trapper so I am going to guess it is like preparing fur.
-skin animal
-remove fat. guess with chickens just scrape with spoon
- wash in dish detergent to remove fat or grease. Pat dry.
- i use borax on fur but I salt turkey and pheasant tails for display. So I am going to try a mix.
- at this point I would put skin on stretcher so id doesnt shrink. I am not sure what to do with chicken. maybe tack it to a peice of wood, feathers down?

Let me know what you figure out.

thanks
Ryan

 

[archerobx]

My bad I didnt see the post before mine

 

[Marty1876]

Its all good. Maybe we should start a thread for feather producers? I can't be the only one whos ever done it! There IS a market.

 

[Marty1876]

Java Girl - What kind of birds do you have? You could list here.....

 

[deerman]

if just wanting to save the feathers ....pluck the feathers...if you want the skin for mounts, depend on how to have the bird mounted. for like a standing mount.....cut center of breast , start at the neck to tail , cut inside wings and legs

 

[archerobx]

I have all the feathers out chickens I butchered.
I am ordering some jungle fowl, barred rocks, silver laced wyandotte, lt brown leghorn, Android blue andalusian. Are these good?
Thank you
Ryan

 

[archerobx]

Is there a market for loose feathers?

 

[Marty1876]

The market inludes:

fisherman who make flies
companies that make fishing flies
boy scouts (sometimes)
beauty shop (current fad for hair feathers - the really long skinny ones, and petite ones (2-3 inches) Showy is good, or colored if they are white
artists
Tribal garb reproducers (esp. turkey, some quail, etc)
There are people who still make feather beds
feather pillows
feather lines jackets (and down of course)
their are sights online who buy feathers, but you must send sample first (of what they say they use) and agree to their price per lb or piece

front sections of matching birds are sometimes used in sewing projects, but they must be cleaned and stretched very carefully first.